Submitted photo: Fort Dodge senior Evan Pratt with his dad, Messenger Sports Editor Eric Pratt, after Monday’s district golf meet at the Fort Dodge Country Club.
For nearly 30 years, I’ve covered “lasts” for teams and athletes at all levels.
There have been plenty of raw, emotional moments. Players who didn’t want to say goodbye. Kids who refused to take their jerseys off and admit it’s over. Reality is cold and often bitter in postseason locker rooms, dugouts and huddles.
As a veteran of these situations, I thought I’d be able to approach my son’s final varsity golf meet on Monday afternoon with a level head. Knowing this was going to be “it” one way or another, I mentally prepared myself for watching his final few swings as a Dodger.
As it turns out, almost three decades of professional preparation still didn’t have me entirely ready for this rollercoaster ride on a personal front. I once played for the Fort Dodge golf team myself, and in fact, my final district meet as a Dodger just happened to be 28 years ago to the day — also at the Fort Dodge Country Club.
The symmetry really hit me when I pulled up to watch his last few holes. Nostalgic memories flooded my mind, both from my own experiences and of watching my son these last four seasons. I can picture in great detail the first time he picked up a club, and I remember his first meet as a Dodger in 2020 like it was yesterday.
I’ve spent the last few days reflecting. And honestly, the results of the meet — and his career — didn’t even matter to me at the end of the day. We want our children to succeed, of course, but just seeing them complete a long journey is where the true joy lives.
For young parents today, my best advice is this: make it about the talks. The trips. The memories of a bigger picture than the final score of a game or end result of a meet. We tend to get so wrapped up in how our kids perform on a particular day. Typically, they’re at an age where they don’t want to be criticized or challenged; they just want to feel love and appreciation.
Youngsters are often hard enough on themselves. There’s a time and place to break down the swing path, form or technique. The car-ride home or the postgame conversation isn’t it.
I’m far from the first parent going through the “lasts” of a senior in high school, and many more will follow in the Class of 2024’s footsteps. I’m trying my best to simply enjoy the ride and take little snapshots in my mind that will lead to a smile someday when I’m old and gray(er).
This all goes by in the blink of an eye. Make it count for all the right reasons, and be present for your kids. Teach them all the important lessons to come from athletics and activities — commitment, hard work, respect, being a good partner or teammate, the importance of honesty and integrity — and the rest will fall into place.
We spend a lot of time, energy and resources trying to create elite athletes or performers. Let’s focus more on making sure our children are good people. These final moments come and go on the field, court, course or stage. The real world — and adulthood — is next. “Careers” often end when they’re teenagers. Their stories as human beings, for all intents and purposes, are just beginning.
Keep that in mind as you guide and prepare them for the “lasts” that are really nothing more than memories to tuck away as their actual future awaits.
Eric Pratt is Sports Editor at The Messenger. Contact him via email at sports@messengernews.net, or on Twitter @ByEricPratt